Trump asks Congress to end 'unexpected,' 'unjustified' medical bills

President Trump on Thursday called for a bipartisan congressional effort to pass legislation that would protect Americans from getting surprise medical bills that leave patients suffering from sticker shock. "Not a pleasant surprise, a very unpleasant surprise".

He was joined at the event by a heart attack victim who said even though he was insured, he got a $110,000 bill, and a man who was charged $17,580 for a urine test for his daughter that he said his insurer would have paid $100 for.

"No one in America should be bankrupted unexpectedly by health care costs that are absolutely out of control. It also said that patients "should have information about whether providers are in or out of their network and what costs they may face" and that patients "should not receive surprise bills from out-of-network providers they did not choose" and that [f] ederal healthcare expenditures should not increase". These charges frequently occur when patients are treated at hospitals by doctors who are out of their network, without their knowledge.

Senior administration officials tell The Associated Press the Republican president on Thursday will outline principles he can support as part of legislation to limit such billing practices.

The proposal would prevent hospitals from charging patients with out-of-network charges greater than what they pay for in-network doctors and services.

America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents US health insurers, said on Thursday it supports prohibiting doctors from sending patients surprise bills in cases of emergency and requiring facilities to inform patients of their doctors' insurance network status.